Dear Aspiring AP Biology Student,
If you are reading this, then congratulations! You are working on one of the first of many summer assignments required to complete before school starts next fall. Now if you are reading this, and considering dropping the class because of the summer assignment...DO NOT DROP THE CLASS. You signed up for this class because you had interest in biology, don't let a summer assignment discourage you. We all have to complete them and honestly I enjoyed them. I enjoyed learning some background knowledge before I got into class to help prepare me.
...if you believe me when I say the summer assignment is not that bad you can skip this paragraph, but if you are still not convinced...keep reading! I know that packet looks really scary...it's like six pages of four large assignments that consist of 50+ vocabulary terms and essays and maybe some things that you would rather be out swimming in Lake Michigan than doing. You have 3. Whole. Months. Don't get overwhelmed (hint: that is one of the many skills you will learn when you take this class). I know there is a lot but if you space it out over your summer, you will have more than enough time to complete the work! So time is definitely in your favor while completing this assignment...and if you are worried that you won't know how to complete an assignment or if you have a question..."and it's summer and I won't be able to talk to my teacher..."STOP. Don't even think that. Mr. Landry is always available to answer questions via Twitter, Facebook, and email. So no excuses or worries there! Just do the work and you will definitely be rewarded.
So now that we have the summer assignment out of the way, now we can focus on bigger mattes! (yeah, you think the summer assignment is big...think again :) ) I don't say that to scare you...but to inform you ;) You will be doing a few major lab write ups (if you have any questions on format talk to Mrs. Ritter or Mr. Landry) and a lot of outside of class work. You won't get a lot of "this paper is due tomorrow" homework, but there will be assignments that are turned in when the test day is (Landry might change this, but for class of 2014 this is how it went). Again, Mr. Landry gives out a lot of material, but he also gives you plenty of time to do the assignments, so have no fear!
Another important thing to note is that Mr. Landry !!!OFFERS EXTRA CREDIT FOR EACH UNIT!!! I cannot tell you enough how important those extra credit assignment are! For our class, each unit there were extra credit reading packets for each chapter. So what you do is you use that 5 lb. beast of a book and read through the chapter and fill out the packet. Now these packets can be as long as 10 pages and as short as 4. AGAIN, DON'T GET OVERWHEELMED! These packets do a great job at getting you used to reading and comprehending material. Not only are they a source for a few extra points here and there, but they are a wonderful studying tool that you should take full advantage of! That is some advice that former student gave me, and I found it very useful!
I know by now you are probable thinking, "Great...this class is gonna be so much work..." It's is so much more than just notes, worksheet, test. Mr. Landry does a great job at group discussions that involve a deeper understanding of the material given. We also do great interactive labs that help us to experience first hand the concepts we are learning about. I know sometimes for me, studying cells and diffusion seem like such distant concepts because I don't get to see cells perform this process...so we did a lab for it :) That allowed me to really see what happens on a cellular level. I can promise you that you will never be bored in this class. Biology (and anatomy) is the one class where it applies to every single person in the world! Biology is the study of life! LIFE IS AMAZING! and to have the opportunity to learn about the world around us and how it works should give you goose bumps! I know I get goose bumps thinking about the vastness of the world around me and how there is infinite knowledge to learn and further understand.
If you haven't noticed...I like biology...like I really, really, really, really, really, really love biology. It has been one of my most favorite classes in all of high school! I think that it is definitely a challenging class, but a manageable one. It taught me how to manage my time wisely to complete all of the extra credit and study guides. Biology has taught me to use a calendar to keep track of assignments that need to be completed before a class day (sometimes we will watch a video on the blog before class). I have also learned how to think critically about the world around me and how various systems interact with one another to make the world...the world. If you work hard, stay focused, and keep your eye on the prize that is knowledge you will do well in this class.
I know that was a lot...but I hope you learned something through reading all of my excited nerd talk :) I hope that you stick to AP Biology like I did. I know if you do you will see the benefits.
#ThankyouMrLandryforeverything
#CellSlayersforLife
#BioStyle
#nerdstatus
...and with that I say farewell to AP Biology... :(
Good Luck Aspiring AP Biology Student, I know you will succeed!
Em
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